On 13 Oct 2013 at about 2325hrs, I took a cab (license plate no: SHD5506J) from Yishun MRT heading towards Woodlands. After Gambas I informed the cab driver to exit at a turn and he said he had already signaled to turn and he knew where he was going.
Later, when I heard him signal to turn right, I informed him that this wasn't my exit yet and to proceed straight. He turned around to face me and lectured me for giving directions to him. He claimed that I was looking at my handphone and should therefore not be giving him directions.
I found it extremely ridiculous that he took offense as I have been taking the same route home for close to a decade and I know where the turns are. I gave him directions because taxi drivers sometimes take the wrong exits to get to my address.
Eventually, when I informed him to U-turn, he did a wrong turn instead. Not wanting to be in his cab any longer, I just told him to alight me opposite my home. I was looking for his name but the interior of the Prime orange/gold cab did not display his name.
It's extremely disappointing to see some cab drivers being tyrants on the road. With all the emphasis on service, you would think the cab drivers in Singapore would be top notch and respect their paying customers. But upon reading all the complaints on this blog, I realised I'm not alone at being frustrated.
I've met a handful of really excellent cab drivers on the road but I sincerely hope that the handful will soon outnumber the numerous bad drivers. Taxi companies should look to hire drivers who have passed certain service quality lessons. Drivers need to be assessed on their suitability to serve customers.
I applaud the formation of this blog as it helps people share their experiences and most importantly, keep others aware of drivers with repeat complaints.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. Yes, we hope that this blog will one day not be required but until then, we want to consolidate all the rubbish dished out by these ruffians to serve as an infinite record of their misdeeds. The only way forward is for the commuters to take the fight to the industry since the industry is only interested in taking our money and giving us excuses. By reporting the matter to the LTA through their online feedback portal each and every time we encounter bad drivers, we put pressure on LTA for enforcement which then impacts the cab companies where it hurts - their bottomline. Once their operations and profits are affected, rest assured there will be change - fast and furious change, in fact.
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